1. Creative Writing

3. Homework  Print out the lyrics to a chosen song and annotate them by highlighting key words, literary elements and devices, observations they make about the text and ideas about theme. Find examples of as many literary elements as possible within the lyrics. Reminders  Poem to recite due May 7  Final original poem assignment due May 11

4.  Now that your ballads are complete, let’s share.  Make sure you turn them in for grading.

5. Students will examine the lyrics of Jay-Z for literary elements in order to consider what he says about his own writing process.

6.  Read along  https://vimeo.com/11763681 https://vimeo.com/11763681  What do you like about it?  What are the main ideas and themes of the lyrics?  Is it literary?  Why or why not?

7.  Complete the literary analysis  How has Jay-Z used these literary elements to express his own experience?  Why does he use them?  What effect do they have on you?

8.  What themes does Jay-Z address in this song?  How does his use of literary elements help bring out these themes?  Where in the lyrics do you see layers of metaphors?  What are the effects of his “language tricks” on you as a listener?

9.  “Everywhere I went I’d write. If I was crossing a street with my friends and a rhyme came to me, I’d break out my binder, spread it on a mailbox or lamppost and write the rhyme before I crossed the street.”  If he didn’t have his notebook with him, he’d run to “the corner store, buy something, then find a pen to write it on the back of the brown paper bag.”

10.  That became impractical when he was a teenager, working streets up and down the eastern corridor, selling crack, and he says he began to work on memorizing, creating “little corners in my head where I stored rhymes.”

11.  Inspiration  A Concept  The Lyrics  Genre  Structure  A Hook  Rhyming  Rhythm

12. Inspiration

13.  Relax And Quiet Your Mind  Focus On A Specific Subject With An Intention  Allow Any And All New Thoughts/Ideas To Flow  Analyze These Without Judgement  Write Down Or Record What Comes To You  Allow For A Sufficient Time For Creation

14. A Concept

15.  Friendship  Love  Loss  A cliché  Places  Spirituality  The Past, Present, Or Future

16. Words & Expressions

17. Genre

18. Your Song’s Structure

19. The Hook

20. Rhyming

21. Rhythm

22. Think about who the audience for the song will be. What will the age range of the audience be? Will the song be for those in love, or those mourning lost love?

23. VERSE: The verse is usually the “story” of the song. Create two phrases or sentences. Each phrase or sentence needs to have 9 – 14 syllables. A syllable (a word or part of a word) is a short sound that can be said without interruption. For example, the word “original” has 4 syllables.

24.  TRANSITION: This part of the song connects the verse to the chorus. Write two phrases, each 10 syllables long. You can use the back of this sheet if you need more space.  CHORUS: The chorus is the musical highlight of the song, with a catchy phrase or “hook” that gives the song its title. Most choruses use repetition, so don’t be afraid to use the same phrase more than once in your chorus. Write four 8 – 10 syllable lines.

25. THE VALUE MESSAGE: All songs have a value message. What is your song really saying?